John Bunyan and The Pilgrim’s Progress
Biography 1628-1688 An ill-educated traveling tinker (mender of pots, pans, utensils) Self-educated by reading the Bible and two other religious tracts (pamphlets) Left home at 16 to join the parliamentary army Became an unlicensed and nonconformist minister after several years of intense spiritual struggles
Biography - Adult Arrested when he refused to renounce his faith - spent 12 years in prison Continued to minister in a barn that served as his church after his release Imprisoned again; wrote first half of Pilgrim’s Progress; finished it several years later
The Pilgrim’s Progress Most widely read book by an English author
The Pilgrim’s Progress Translated into over 100 languages Allegory - plot, characters, setting clearly represent abstract ideas; purpose is to teach while entertaining
Summary Autobiographical account of the adventures and dangers a Christian encounters in his passage through life Characters: Christian (hero), Faithful (his friend), Beelzebub (organizer of the fair), citizens of Vanity